Colleagues!
In a recent email to Easybib I shared that there was active discussion among CT school librarians and a lot of concern about the changes Easybib is making.
Her original response is below. But then she contacted me again yesterday asking me to share your concerns and responses.
Valerie DiLorenze originally compiled a list of our responses but she is, rightly so, not comfortable sharing them with a company…so…
Now that we have Easybib’s ear. Please forward any information to me (even forward your previous post) you would like to share regarding the sunsetting of
that product. (Including if you will not be renewing.) I will compile a new list to share with Easybib.
Please indicate if you would like your name included in the response.
Thank you!
Dawn Fiorelli
Library Media Specialist
Polson Middle School
Madison, CT
From: CASL-L [mailto:casl-l-bounces@mylist.net]
On Behalf Of Fiorelli, Dawn
Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2016 1:38 PM
To: casl-l@mylist.net
Subject: [CASL-L] recent info from easybib
Response to my question about website evaluation features in Scholar.
From: Gina Ford [mailto:gina.ford@imagineeasy.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2016 1:34 PM
To: Fiorelli, Dawn
Subject: Re: Your Imagine Easy Scholar Access Information
Not to begin with, Dawn. We have had a lot of requests for that, however, and we are documenting each and every one of them. When there is a demand, we listen. That is actually how "export to Scholar" from online databases got bumped up
to high priority.
Also, we are allowing our customers to use this website evaluation tool from our Academy platform:
On Thu, Jan 14, 2016 at 12:08 PM, Fiorelli, Dawn <fiorellid@madison.k12.ct.us> wrote:
Will the feature below be available in Scholar?
From: Gina Ford [mailto:gina.ford@imagineeasy.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2016 12:59 PM
To: Fiorelli, Dawn
Subject: Re: Your Imagine Easy Scholar Access Information
Hi Dawn
I am sorry, but we are still moving forward with Scholar exclusively for next year. Our goal with Scholar is to align with 21st Century Learning standards that address skills students are lacking like digital literacy and writing, for example. While Scholar
has citation and bibliography components and can be used like EasyBib, bibliographies are only one part of a the writing process, and we want to be a resource to help students and teachers meet the requirements for higher education standards by supporting
the entire writing process, as well as digital literacy.
The way students interact with digital text in Scholar helps students practice close reading, as well to think critically about the information they are gathering because they are thinking about the text, within the text and around the text. These skills that
contribute to better writing, and the way writing process is broken down in Scholar will help students become better written communicators. In Scholar, students are able to collaborate with teachers and each other, but and when Scholar is incorporated into
daily instruction, teachers can also engage the entire classroom for group discussions which is also conducive to collaboration and better verbal communication.
If you are only looking at Scholar and comparing it to the way you use EasyBib, it is not comparing apples to apples because EasyBib cannot be used like Scholar. In this
new Scholar video we are demonstrating Scholar in the way I am referencing above, as well as offering ideas for incorporating Scholar into daily instruction.
If you are interested, we are hosting a training webinar the last week of January that will essentially be a live version of the video I shared above.
Thursday, January 28th @10 am - 11:30 am Eastern Time -- Register
Here
All of this said, I understand Scholar may not work for your school, but please know I appreciate the time you have taken to consider it. We would be happy to look at your feedback but please go
ahead and send your Google Doc directly to Customer Support as they are logging all of this type of feedback.
I am sorry to be long winded, but thank you for your thoughts, and Happy New Year!
Gina
On Wed, Jan 13, 2016 at 9:10 AM, Fiorelli, Dawn <fiorellid@madison.k12.ct.us> wrote:
Hi Gina,
As a library media specialist in Ct I am on a list-serv that has been discussing noodletools, easybib
and scholar.
As I mentioned last year, there are quite a few people that are saying they will discontinue their
easybib subscription completely. I hope your company will reconsider supporting the current school edition of easybib.
In particular the tool that helps us teach kids how to evaluate a website.
From: Gina Ford [mailto:gina.ford@imagineeasy.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2015 6:08 PM
To: Fiorelli, Dawn
Subject: Re: Your Imagine Easy Scholar Access Information
I'm sorry.
I hope you have a fantastic summer!
Gina
On Wed, Jun 17, 2015 at 9:00 AM, Fiorelli, Dawn <fiorellid@madison.k12.ct.us> wrote:
I will reorder easybib this year but I will not be able to consider Scholar in the future. As I’ve
mentioned below I hope your company considers selling a version of the Easybib product that emphasizes website evaluation and citation skills or we will have to find an alternative.
I hope to hear from you at some point that you’ve considered it.
From: Gina Ford [mailto:gina.ford@imagineeasy.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2015 5:30 PM
To: Fiorelli, Dawn
Subject: Re: Your Imagine Easy Scholar Access Information
Hello again,
Here are some pricing options for the 2015-16 school year. The mid-year upgrade would include you being able to trial Scholar in the fall.
I hope your week is off to a good start. Let me know what questions you have.
Gina
On Mon, Jun 15, 2015 at 10:00 AM, Fiorelli, Dawn <fiorellid@madison.k12.ct.us> wrote:
Can you send me a quote for the 15-16 school year?
Can you show me specifically how the website credibility feature will be used in Scholar?
From: Gina Ford [mailto:gina.ford@imagineeasy.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2015 3:59 PM
To: Fiorelli, Dawn
Subject: Re: Your Imagine Easy Scholar Access Information
Dawn,
I am not copying John or Richard on this reply. As part of the development team, they are not driving this Scholar
transition, only carrying out the mission of our company's co-founders, Neal and Darsh. As for me, while I am very excited about the direction Scholar is taking us and what it can do for kids, I am a simply a messenger. That being said, your candid feedback
has been passed along and is appreciated.
I thinks it's awesome that you have a research management / citation tool combined with something that also supports
teachers, not just students with writing and research across the curriculum that you don't have to pay for. Please keep in mind we are not trying to force Scholar on you. It's totally up to you whether or not to move forward with a subscription. We certainly
don't want you to pay for something you don't like or doesn't meet your needs. The timing of this announcement is coming now to give our customers time to decide if Scholar is or will be a good fit at their schools.
Like with many new products we know we still have plenty of work to do, and the website evaluation piece is still
on the to-do list so we cannot show you specifically how that looks; however, we have over 12 of our team members involved in building and improving the product so we will be rolling out updates to the platform over the coming weeks and months. Like I said
in my previous email, our hope is that you stick with EasyBib School Edition for 2015-16 and keep an eye on Scholar to give us the opportunity to earn your business by delivering on the promise everything we believe Scholar can be.
Your current subscription expires on July 31, and I understand if you feel you need to explore other options, but if you would like a quote for EasyBib for SY2015-16, I will put pricing together, as well as give you a Scholar quote.
I look forward to your reply.
Gina
On Thu, Jun 11, 2015 at 10:10 AM, Fiorelli, Dawn <fiorellid@madison.k12.ct.us> wrote:
Gina and development team,
I love what you’re saying but I do all this without paying for a product. I imagine some schools might need and enjoy the services you’re providing, however.
I am happy to try out Scholar but as a teacher I personally don’t want to teach kids a resource they won’t have when they leave my middle school. I’m teaching them skills across the curriculum and a foundation of those skills is website evaluation. Your
product has helped my middle schoolers develop a vocabulary and process to evaluate a resource. They leave me with a better understanding of how to evaluate a site with a little help from Easybib. And they always have the option of using Easybib for free
after they leave me.
I’ve been a loyal customer for about 6 years now, even encouraged my district to adopt your product, and purchased Research Ready early on.
Can you show me specifically how the website credibility feature will be used in Scholar? And what would the cost of Scholar be?
I know your company often asks for feedback, this is my feedback. I have loved Easybib! I never used the notebook or search features on School edition.
They were convoluted and I’d rather teach kids how to develop their own method of organizing information, keeping track of resources, etc. instead of relying on a product.
I desperately want to be able to have the option of continuing to use Easybib and the website evaluation feature without having to upgrade to Scholar.
Please tell me that you can make that happen!
Sincerely,
Dawn Fiorelli…a very loyal customer who is regretting the possibility of no longer being one.
From: Gina Ford [mailto:gina.ford@imagineeasy.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2015 3:11 PM
To: Fiorelli, Dawn
Subject: Re: Your Imagine Easy Scholar Access Information
The website credibility feature is being built into Scholar because we, too, think it is a valuable feature. Please
keep in mind that our migration to the Scholar platform evolved as a consideration for what is happening in the world of education and how to take what is great about EasyBib and make it into something that can support both students and teachers with the higher
standards, Common Core or otherwise.
While Scholar can still be used independently as a citation manager and for research management, the
platform is more centered around the Notebook feature to support project based learning and writing and research across the content areas. The functionality of the notecards
break down the critical thinking process, prompting students to think beyond direct quotes and engage them with the information they are gathering by practicing close reading strategies to gain a deeper understanding of the information they are gathering. This
results in better note taking, which will produce better writing. Use of the annotation tool also provides digital literacy practice with tasks that mimic the those students will have to perform on high stakes tests (online reading, highlighting and critical
thinking, etc.).
All of the these features make Scholar a cross-curricular resource that not only supports higher standards,
but also the requirements for college and career readiness, thus making Scholar a resource no longer exclusive to the library space (or budget). We realize that this is a very different
way for our loyal librarians to think about EasyBib, but to be honest, many of them who have shown Scholar to their school principal, for example, are generating some excitement about the possibilities of this platform. Just to give you an example, content
area teachers are loving it because with them not being used to teaching literacy skills or writing and research in their classroom, Scholar makes the process simpler because it's easy to use AND because the students are using it in other classes so they don't
have to spend time teaching students how to use another tool/platform.
I am sorry you are disappointed with this transition, Dawn. But we do hope that you will renew your EasyBib subscription
and keep an eye on Scholar during the school year to give us the opportunity to deliver on the promise of what we believe Scholar can be for all your teachers and students.
Have a great rest of your day.
Gina
On Wed, Jun 10, 2015 at 12:00 PM, Fiorelli, Dawn <fiorellid@madison.k12.ct.us> wrote:
Will there be any product that has just that feature? I can’t believe that this company would abandon this? This has been a valuable tool to help kids
understand website credibility. In my opinion, when they’re using google docs, etc they don’t need all the other stuff you have on Scholar and google docs is free so I would not pay for Scholar. But the credibility piece is the most important feature you
offer and it’s why I purchase the school version.
Will the free version offer credibility features?
Could you connect me with a manager?
From: Gina Ford [mailto:gina.ford@imagineeasy.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2015 12:55 PM
To: Fiorelli, Dawn
Subject: Re: Your Imagine Easy Scholar Access Information
Hi Dawn,
I am sorry you had to email me twice before getting back to you. I was out sick on Monday and working through my emails yesterday in the order they were received. I had to quit
at hour 12.
The free version of the EasyBib and well as "Pro" (which is when people subscribe to EasyBib on their own) will still exist. The Pro version has the additional citation styles,
as well as the website credibility feature, but a school subscription with access to these features will no longer be available for the 2016-17 school year. At least this is the way I understand it.
I totally get needing to understand all the pieces of the puzzle to help you decide what to do for 2015-16. Again, I am sorry for taking so long to get back to you.
Let me know your thoughts, and have a great day!
Gina
On Wed, Jun 10, 2015 at 9:27 AM, Fiorelli, Dawn <fiorellid@madison.k12.ct.us> wrote:
Hi Gina,
Before I do a PO for the next year I’d like to know the status of the basic easybib service you provide, in particular the website credibility features.
That’s all I’m really interested in. Can you tell me if that will be available over the next few years?
From: Gina Ford [mailto:gina.ford@imagineeasy.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2015 2:52 PM
To: Fiorelli, Dawn
Subject: Fwd: Your Imagine Easy Scholar Access Information
Hi Dawn,
Because I am the person who handles your school's EasyBib subscription renewal, your question got forwarded to me. I know I have been in touch with you about Scholar (sorry about
having you mixed up with another school that day), but I also wanted to get back to you about your question regarding website credibility. The current version of Scholar does not have a website credibility rating, but I believe that is on the roadmap for fall.
I am double checking this to be sure.
Let me know if you have other questions or if I can assist you with anything else.
Thank you,
Gina
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Allison Cloyd <allison@imagineeasy.com>
Date: Mon, Jun 8, 2015 at 2:12 PM
Subject: Re: Your Imagine Easy Scholar Access Information
To: Gina Ford <gina.ford@imagineeasy.com>
Cc: Bob Petrie <bob@imagineeasy.com>, Kathy Krupa <kathy.krupa@imagineeasy.com>, Lindsey Rae Palmer <Lindsey@imagineeasy.com>
It looks like Gina is already in touch with this person according to salesforce!
Allison Cloyd, MLIS
Imagine Easy Solutions
10 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Main:
212-675-6738, ext. 018 | Fax:
401-633-6187
email:
allison@imagineeasy.com
On Mon, Jun 8, 2015 at 3:09 PM, Emily Gover <emily.gover@imagineeasy.com> wrote:
**This email address,
emily.gover@imagineeasy.com, is used for newsletter emails and is
not a primary email address. If you have future questions, please contact your EasyBib account manager, or contact Emily Gover at her main address, emily@imagineeasy.com.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Fiorelli, Dawn <fiorellid@madison.k12.ct.us>
Date: Mon, Jun 8, 2015 at 1:23 PM
Subject: RE: Your Imagine Easy Scholar Access Information
To: "Emily.Gover@imagineeasy.com" <Emily.Gover@imagineeasy.com>
Help! Will we still have access to the tools that easybib provided us? How do we evaluate a website using scholar?
From: Emily at Imagine Easy [mailto:Emily.Gover@imagineeasy.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2015 8:27 AM
To: Fiorelli, Dawn
Subject: Your Imagine Easy Scholar Access Information
Here is your information on how to sign up for your Imagine Easy Scholar accounts.
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--
Gina Ford
Renewal Account Executive
Imagine Easy Solutions, LLC - EasyBib
--
Gina Ford
Renewal Account Executive
Imagine Easy Solutions, LLC - EasyBib
--
Gina Ford
Renewal Account Executive
Imagine Easy Solutions, LLC - EasyBib
--
Gina Ford
Renewal Account Executive
Imagine Easy Solutions, LLC - EasyBib
--
Gina Ford
Renewal Account Executive
Imagine Easy Solutions, LLC - EasyBib
--
Gina Ford
Renewal Account Executive
Imagine Easy Solutions, LLC - EasyBib
--
Gina Ford
Renewal Account Executive
Imagine Easy Solutions, LLC
--
Gina Ford
Renewal Account Executive
Imagine Easy Solutions, LLC